(NOT APPLICABLE)
The present invention relates to casino games and gaming formats and, more particularly, to betting options and modified versions of existing games where a result is determined according to ranked values.
Baccarat is played internationally with different rules and different names, such as Punto Banco and Chemin-de-Fer. In the U.S., Baccarat is typically played in a dedicated VIP high-stakes gaming area. In an effort to increase the popularity of the game, smaller versions of Baccarat such as Mini-Baccarat have been introduced in the regular gaming area.
There are several drawbacks associated with conventional Baccarat. In particular, in certain situations, the house takes a commission on wagers. Although the house needs an advantage, the use of commission can deter many players. Moreover, from a casino perspective, calculating commissions slows down the game. To correct this, the game may be operated where the commission is collected not after each hand, but at the end of each shoe (a shoe holds multiple decks of cards from which hands are dealt by the dealer), prior to reshuffling the decks. While this speeds up the game, collection of commission may be impacted by the player running out of funds or not wishing to meet the obligation.
Moreover, for novice players, the rules of play seem obscure, and the procedure is prone to error. In Baccarat, there is a player hand and a banker hand, but the casino player may bet either hand. Each hand receives two cards with 10""s and face cards counting as zero. The superior hand is the higher hand, with 9 being the highest total and with each hand being allowed to draw a third card in certain circumstances. The card draw option to the player hand is determined by the player two-card total, and the card draw option to the banker hand is determined by the banker two-card total and the exact third card drawn by the player. With these rules, although the game is simple in its concepts, the game has a complicated appearance.
Still further, with conventional Baccarat, there is an inherent hand-value deterioration bias. That is, a two-card total of 5 improves with a 1, 2, 3 or 4 value card, but deteriorates with a 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 value card, which creates the inherent bias.
Additionally, as a tie is a push with respect to wagers, there is no casino advantage working on the player and banker wagers when a tie occurs. If the tie outcome could be incorporated into the outcome of the basic wager, the house advantage could be manipulated as desired.
In one modified version of Baccarat, so called Bahama Baccarat or No Commission Baccarat, the commission aspect has been successfully removed. The house advantage is incorporated in a bar rule so a specific result is determined differently than with conventional Baccarat. In this context, however, the game retains a complicated draw process, does not offer higher payoffs, the tie is a non-result, and the bar rule gives an impression of a lack of balance.
There is thus a need for a Baccarat variant that not only removes the commission aspect of the game, but also eliminates card drawing complications, incorporates a house advantage in the tie result, and removes the inherent deterioration bias in conventional Baccarat. With such a Baccarat variant, the game would be simple to operate and attractive to new players.
According to the present invention, a Baccarat variant is a simplified version of the conventional game, incorporating player hand win or banker hand win bet options as well as a tie bet option. The methodology according to the invention can be applied to other ranked value games such as Blackjack, War, Dice or an original ranked value game.
According to a particular aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of playing a game where a result is determined according to ranked values. The method includes the steps of (a) receiving at least one wager that at least one of a plurality of events will occur, the plurality of events including (1) a first side having a higher ranking value than a second side, (2) the second side having a higher ranking value than the first side, and (3) the first side having a ranking value equal to the second side; (b) adjusting a house advantage by determining rules for resolving ties; (c) dealing two playing cards to each of the first side and the second side and determining a numerical total of each of the two playing cards according to predetermined rules of the game; and (d) resolving the at least one wager according to the respective numerical totals and the rules for resolving ties, wherein upon the occurrence of a tie, wagers for events (1) and (2) are pushed except for ties with a numerical value of zero. In this context, upon the occurrence of a zero tie, step (d) may be practiced by taking wagers on events (1) and (2); taking wagers on events (1) and (2) when the zero tie results from two zero-value cards for each of the first side and the second side and by paying 1 to 1 on wagers for events (1) and (2) when the zero tie results from any other combination of cards; taking half of the wagers on events (1) and (2); or holding wagers on events (1) and (2) for a next deal of cards, and resolving the wagers on events (1) and (2) in the next deal of cards.
The wagers on events (1) and (2) held according to step (d) may be resolved in the next deal of cards according to the following:
(i) if the first side wins the next deal of cards, wagers on event (1) are returned and wagers on event (2) are taken;
(ii) if the second side wins the next deal of cards, wagers on event (2) are returned and wagers on event (1) are taken; and
(iii) if a result of the next deal of cards is a tie, then the wagers on events (1) and (2) are resolved according to special rules.
The special rules may comprise paying a payout on the held wagers for events (1) and (2); taking the held wagers for events (1) and (2); pushing the held wagers for events (1) and (2); or further holding the held wagers for events (1) and (2) for another deal of cards.
Step (d) may alternatively be practiced by paying 1 to 1 on wagers for events (1) and (2) when the respective numerical totals tie with 2, 4, 6 or 8, taking wagers on events (1) and (2) when the respective numerical totals tie with 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9, and pushing wagers on events (1) and (2) when the respective numerical totals tie with zero.
According to another particular aspect of the invention, an apparatus for playing a game where a result is determined according to ranked values includes structure for carrying out the method of the invention.
According to still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of playing a game where a result is determined according to ranked values. The method includes the steps of (a) receiving at least one wager that at least one of a plurality of events will occur, the plurality of events including (1) a first side having a higher ranking value than a second side, (2) the second side having a higher ranking value than the first side, and (3) the first side having a ranking value equal to the second side; (b) dealing two playing cards to each of the first side and the second side and determining a numerical total of each of the two playing cards according to predetermined rules of the game; and (c) resolving the at least one wager according to the respective numerical totals, wherein upon the occurrence of a tie, wagers for events (1) and (2) are pushed except for ties with a numerical value of zero, wherein upon the occurrence of a zero tie, step (c) is practiced by one of taking wagers on events (1) and (2), taking wagers on events (1) and (2) when the zero tie results from two zero-value cards for each of the first side and the second side and paying 1 to 1 on wagers for events (1) and (2) when the zero tie results from any other combination of cards, taking half of the wagers on events (1) and (2), and holding wagers on events (1) and (2) for a next deal of cards, and resolving the wagers on events (1) and (2) in the next deal of cards.